VIDEO: Crowley’s first LNG-powered ConRo ship on schedule

The construction of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, combination container – Roll-On/Roll-Off (ConRo) ships for Crowley Maritime Corporation’s liner services group has reached a critical milestone, one that marks the construction 25 percent complete.

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The two ships, which will be named El Coqui (ko-kee) and Taino (tahy-noh), are currently under construction at VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of VT Systems, Inc., a project that began in November 2013. The ceremonial first steel plate cutting was celebrated with a ceremony held at VT Halter the following year, in October 2014.

John Hourihan, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Puerto Rico/Caribbean liner services commented:

"Week by week, we have watched the pair of Commitment Class ships begin to take shape. It’s been incredible to watch. Once fully constructed, these new vessels will embody superior technology and construction and, while we are anxious to get them into service for our partners in Puerto Rico, we are thrilled that they are coming together on schedule."

"The entire team at VT Halter Marine is pleased and proud to be partnered with Crowley in the construction of these magnificent ships,” said VT Halter Marine President and CEO Jack Prendergast.

The Commitment Class ships have been designed to maximize the carriage of 53-foot, 102-inch-wide containers, which offer the most cubic cargo capacity in the trade.

The vessels will be 219.5 meters long, 32.3 meters wide (beam), have a deep draft of 10 meters, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tonnes.

Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent-units), with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles in an enclosed Ro/Ro garage.

The main propulsion and auxiliary engines will be fueled by environmentally-friendly LNG. The ship design is provided by Wartsila Ship Design in conjunction with Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, a leading Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm.

El Coqui and Taino are scheduled for delivery second and fourth quarter 2017 respectively.